Bedford Borough Council and its partners are pushing forward with the redevelopment of Greyfriars, with residents set to play a key role in shaping the project, a meeting has heard.
Cllr Ben Foley, the ward councillor for Greyfriars (Green) asked for an update during last night’s Housing Committee (Wednesday).
Jeff Astle, executive director of development and sales at bpha, said the design brief was approved by Bedford Borough Council in June last year, and the scheme viability and design is being worked on.
“We’re in the process of looking to appoint an architect to work with us on the more detailed design,” he said, “And we’d hope to be doing that within the next six to eight weeks, then we can start to see how that design is going to evolve.”
Mr Astle added that residents will be invited to join a customer panel which will enable them to have input into the architect selection process.
“There’ll be all sorts of work streams so people can get involved as we progress, but it’s still early days,” he said.
Cllr Andrea Spice (Conservative, Wixams and Wilstead), the council’s portfolio holder for economic growth, planning and prosperity, expressed concerns that they are not being kept fully informed.
“It’s incredible in the area, it’s really exciting for the residents,” she said. “But I think there’s just a little bit of nervousness, but, it’s a major win for them, it’s just about keeping them onboard.”
The council plans to hold a Town Deal stall dedicated to Greyfriars “as the project gets closer” where residents can also receive updates on the project.
The redevelopment will also involve a road realignment project, with work set to begin in June 2025.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
